Thanks Rory, enjoyed your beautiful response.
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "RoryGoff" <rorygoff@...> wrote:
>
> Beautifully put, Ravi. Until we internalize absolutely everything in
our creation, take full responsibility for all of it, we are in a sense
just attempting to whitewash the jail cell. That's why I like to point
out that "being beyond the three gunas" means being beyond *all three
gunas*, not just beyond rajas and tamas. It is a natural stage to want
everything to be sattvic, but again, that is just whitewashing the jail
cell.
>
> On the other hand, if the cell is whitewashed enough, it does actually
dissolve, as the octopus or Cosmic Cephalopod remembers that all of that
lovely/horrible camouflage is really Us! So favoring sattva does (or
may) eventually clarify the intellect enough for it to recognize its own
transparency, allowing the camouflagey distinctions to surrender back
into our own blanched-out mindskin! Again, many thanks, Denise -- what a
video that is! :-)
>
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmDTtkZlMwM
>
>
> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Ravi Yogi" raviyogi@ wrote:
> >
> > Steve,
> > I'm very well aware of the progress made by blacks. I'm not here to
> > debate social issues. My point was that all social changes are
> > superficial, of the accidental, of the samsaara, of the maya.
Regardless
> > of what the prevailing social conditions are we are masters at
> > creatinglimitations and feeling oppressed. It's laughable at the
level
> > of pain, misery and oppression I felt in my marriage.
> > I was a worse bleeding heart than the run-of the-mill liberals like
> > Curtis. When I was in the housing projects I would help the people
there
> > despite being broke myself as a student, in spite of knowing well
that
> > my money would be used for cheap wine or drugs. It was carried over
from
> > my time in India when I used to cry at the poor people, a scene
where I
> > saw someone eating from the garbage. I also tried to give advice to
the
> > people at the housing projects even at the age of 22 but I was too
young
> > to articulate myself well.
> > I am totally indifferent to conservatives, my audience is the
liberals.
> > Conservatives rarely have the feeling heart, they judge every issue
> > using heartless moral, legal and ethical standards. Liberals OTOH
are
> > very sensitive and feel the pain of others. This is awesome and a
good
> > start.
> > I have myself gone through these typical stages. Typical childhood
> > stressors, resulted in carrying the infantile pain well into my
> > adulthood. The ability to really empathize with the poor and
suffering,
> > manifested in my teens as revenge for the oppressors, interest in
guns,
> > Communism, Marxism. Once I became an adult it manifested as social,
> > political utopia.
> > But due to the grace of my Guru I realized that I could only truly
> > empathize with others once I heal myself, till then it was
projection of
> > my own inner wounds on to others. A bleeding heart liberal stuck in
> > false worship of pseudo spiritual icons is such a waste.
> > The natural progression of a bleeding heart liberal is to
internalize
> > the pain, become enlightened,be a healer, a shaman.
> >
> > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "seventhray1" <steve.sundur@>
> > wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Ravi Yogi" raviyogi@ wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > > Just for curiosity sake what is that you found "excellent" in
his
> > > reply?
> > >
> > > Good questions. See below:
> > >
> > >
> > > > > curtisdeltablues@ wrote:
> > >
> > > > > > Now I hope this is not a prelude for an analysis of a whole
> > racial
> > > > > group by its poorest members. This is the tactic of those
groups I
> > > was
> > > > > telling you about who share your disdain for MLK but would
never
> > > admit
> > > > > you because of your excessive brownness. Do you think I should
> > take
> > > > time
> > > > > spent with the "slumdogs" of your own country as an indication
of
> > > the
> > > > > potential and the basic nature of all Indian people?
> > > Subsidized housing and food stamps is one of
> > > > > the things our tax dollars pay for so every street
intersection is
> > > not
> > > > > populated with a woman thrusting her baby at your car and
crying
> > > > > "baksheesh." It is one of our social services, which although
not
> > > > > perfect, is not a way anyone is being oppressed. It is a
lifeline.
> > I
> > > > > know people who escaped those conditions due to that leg up.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > You should take some time to hang out in Appalachia to
> > understand
> > > > how
> > > > > all white people are. Where I live we have ghettos, but we
also
> > have
> > > > an
> > > > > African American as the president of the United States. We
have a
> > > rich
> > > > > community of African Americans in the middle and upper classes
> > whose
> > > > > situation I interact daily in my school work. They don't
casually
> > > > > dismiss the work MLK did to transform their lives.
> > >
> > > I felt that these were pretty good points.
> > >
> > > I would like to say that the forced busing was a good point, but I
> > don't
> > > want to be a hypocrite. I was present when that debate went full
bore
> > > in my community, and I had attended one of those schools that was
> > asked
> > > to take students from poorer districts (although I graduated HS in
> > > 1974), and I believe the that issue erupted after that. I had and
> > > continue to have mixed feelings about that.
> > >
> > > On the other hand, my wife teaches at an advantaged HS where they
take
> > > all students, (many from disadvantaged areas), and there have been
> > many
> > > remarkable stories with these students.
> > >
> > > In particular, the notion of the safety net was something that had
not
> > > occurred to me. Without the safety net we have here, I think
indeed,
> > we
> > > would people begging as they do in many poorer countries.
> > >
> > > Now certainly I am conflicted on how to deal with racial issues as
> > they
> > > pertain to opportunity, initiative, single parent families etc.
I
> > > don't know how much carrot and how much stick should be employed.
> > >
> > > On the other hand, it is easy to dismiss these challenges as
coming
> > from
> > > a PPL, as you often do. I don't think that gets us anywhere. You
> > have
> > > stated your point many times in a general way, but I think there
is a
> > > lot of room for a more detailed discussion, especially since it
seems
> > to
> > > be an issue you have experience with, and have thought about.
> > >
> >
>
